Rings of Promise
by boxers-or-briefs
Summary: After a painful and embarrassing breakup, Martin is determined to get even. But when another relationship possibility springs up, will he choose the wrong girl or the right one? R&R! 3 Part Story. MartinRuthie COMPLETE!
1. Part One

**Disclaimer: I do not own "7th Heaven" or any of its characters, places, etc. Everything belongs to Brenda Hampton. However, anything you do not recognize is mine. Enjoy! **

Rings of Promise

Part One

"That's not the right answer!" she huffed in frustration, tossing her yellow number two pencil over her shoulder angrily, and rested her head in her hands. For the past fifteen minutes, Ruthie had been hunched over her Algebra II homework working on the same exact problem. No matter what method she tried, this particular problem had deemed itself unsolvable.

The now sixteen-year-old sighed deeply and rubbed her eyes. It wasn't even five o'clock yet and already she was in dire need of caffeine. She slid out from her desk and took a trip downstairs for a short break. The air in her room was beginning to get a bit stuffy anyway.

As soon as she stepped off the bottommost stair in the foyer, a sort of smacking sound made its way to her ears. Had it not been for the wet sounds, she would have strolled right by the couple in the living room with their tongues down each other's throats.

Ruthie ducked her head inside the living room. Martin and his girlfriend of three months, Andrea, were sitting on the couch practically groping one another. She smiled, amused, and crossed her arms over her chest. When they didn't notice her presence immediately, she cleared her throat and enjoyed the embarrassed looks on their faces immensely.

"Oh, don't let me interrupt you," she said, doing everything in her power to not laugh at Martin's lipstick covered face, which he was desperately trying to wipe clean. "What are you guys doing here anyway?" she asked.

Martin used to live in the Camden household while his father was fighting the war in Iraq, his mother dead. No one quite knew how Martin came to be in the house that day. Everyone kind of assumed he was Simon's, Ruthie's older brother, friend, or a counseling patient of the Reverend's, Ruthie's father. Once they heard his tragic story, he was welcomed with open arms and loved as if he were an actual Camden.

Martin cleared his throat. "Your father invited us for dinner," he explained.

Ruthie nodded, a sudden understanding dancing across her face. Martin was often over for meals, now that his father was back, and she wondered why she even had to ask.

The room fell quite as Ruthie slunk into the armchair that rested in front of the piano that no one ever played. Annie, Ruthie's mother, had taken lessons quite a few years before when she was pregnant with the twin boys, Sam and David, who were eight years Ruthie's junior, but since then, the ivories were hushed.

"Excuse me," Andrea squeaked, rising off the couch. "I'm going to use the restroom." She had gone about three steps before turning back to Ruthie.

Ruthie smiled. "Up the stairs, first door to your left."

Andrea nodded her thanks and disappeared up the staircase. When he was sure Andrea was out of earshot, Martin leaned forward on his knees and said, "Ruthie, I need your help with something."

"Shoot," she replied, eager for a new project.

"It's our anniversary on Wednesday and I was wondering if I could employ your opinion on what to get her."

"Sure, I'd be glad to help, but I don't really know Andrea," she said. "What does she like?"

Martin shrugged. "She likes to read," he offered.

Ruthie rolled her eyes. "That doesn't help me. You can't get the girl a _book_ for your anniversary."

"See?" he asked. "I told you I needed help." He sighed and let himself fall back onto the soft couch cushions.

Ruthie bit her lip as she racked her brain. "Tell you what? I'm going to the Promenade tomorrow anyway, you could come with me and we could pick out something for Andrea together."

Martin smiled, his light eyes sparkling. "Sounds good. I owe you."

"Oh, yeah," she agreed vehemently as Andrea came back down the stairs and took her seat next to Martin once more.

Ruthie watched his calloused hand slide slowly over Andrea's delicate one. "I'll leave you guys alone." She forced herself to climb the two flights of steps back to her attic bedroom and search half-heartedly for her pencil so she could resume her headache-inducing math problem.

* * *

The sun was so spectacularly bright Ruthie had to bring her hand to her forehead to shield her eyes. She and Martin had just exited their most recent store. So far that day, they had been in and out of a total of ten stores, including the pharmacy for some odd reason, searching desperately for the perfect anniversary present. 

"Martin, please, can we pick something in the next store we go into?" Ruthie begged, squinting up to his eyes, hoping he would see how miserable she was.

He sighed. "I'm sorry, Ruthie. I just don't want to disappoint her."

"If she really likes you," she began as they walked away from the front of the store, "then she should be happy with whatever you get her - even that tube of foot cream. What was _that_ about, by the way?"

Martin laughed. "She mentioned once that she had dry heels. I wanted to get her something that she could use."

Ruthie sniggered. "You _so_ need my help."

"Just this last store and then we'll grab some ice cream. I promise," Martin said.

"Fine, but only if it's your treat."

He nodded. "You got it."

They had arrived outside of the local jewelers and Martin pushed open the glass door, a blast of cool air hitting their faces. There were large glass cases in a classic U-shape around the store filled with shiny jewels lying elegantly on a bed of royal blue velvet.

Ruthie was surprised that Martin had found something so early on. They had migrated over toward the right side of the store and were staring passed the crystal clear glass down at a beautiful sterling silver promise ring.

"Oh, Martin, that's gorgeous," Ruthie commented, mesmerized by the intricate design.

"Yeah, I know," he concurred. "And I would buy it, but I have no idea what size she is."

Ruthie held her own hand out in front of her, examining her left ring finger. "I wonder how that ring would look on me," she pondered aloud to no one in particular but herself.

Martin watched Ruthie's hand as she tried to imagine it on her own finger and suddenly came to an exciting and rejuvenating conclusion. "Try it on," he said.

"What?" she asked, rocketing back to the world where she could not afford even a plastic ring, and could not find a guy who would buy her the real thing.

"For size. Andrea's fingers are about the same size as yours," he explained.

"Oh, okay," she replied, then called attention to one of the sales clerks, who opened the case and pulled out the ring in a size seven.

"We'll take it," Martin announced proudly, pulling the wallet out of his back pocket.

Quite satisfied with his purchase, Martin gladly paid for the two ice cream cones after they had left the store. Finding an unoccupied bench, the two sat down so they could enjoy their treat. Ruthie had just taken another lick of her mint chocolate chip when she spotted Andrea across the lot.

"Martin, hide the ring," she said. "Andrea's over there." She pointed to where Andrea was helped into a chair over at Pete's Pizza by a man who was considerably older than her.

Martin shoved the bag that contained the ring into his pocket and watched his girlfriend laughing and smiling. He hardly even took notice of the man.

"Who is that?" Ruthie asked. "Is that her dad?"

Martin shook his head. "No. Might be her grandfather though."

Andrea and the unknown man seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely. Ruthie was even more certain of that fact when they leaned across the table and engaged in a passionate kiss.

"Oh, my, God," Ruthie gasped, her eyes wide.

Martin was quiet beside her and for a moment, she wondered if he saw. Ruthie switched her repulsed gaze from Andrea to Martin. He was staring fixedly, his jaw slightly dropped, but his face was otherwise expressionless. The ice cream cone he had been holding dropped abruptly to the dirty ground below.

A wash of sympathy overcame Ruthie and she touched a comforting hand to Martin's arm.

"Martin, I'm so sorry," she said softly, but he made no indication that he had even heard her.

Ruthie's heart sank even lower as she realized that he had just dropped almost fifty dollars on a promise ring for a girl who had proved unworthy.

* * *

Martin hadn't said much in the remaining hour of their little shopping excursion the previous day and Ruthie was beginning to worry about him. She had absolutely no idea what was going through his head. This was one time where she felt like she couldn't connect with him because she had never had anything like this happen to her in the past. The closest she came to this situation was when her eldest sister Mary had dated an airline pilot that was old enough to be her father. 

Ruthie was walking through the south hallway after the final bell had rung, signaling the end of the day. Most of the students had already filed out the front of the school, but Martin was Ruthie's ride home and she had only just found him. He and Andrea were standing near a water fountain apparently exchanging some words, and Martin did not look happy.

She was too far away to hear much of their conversation, and as much as this may have bothered her in the past, Ruthie hung back in the shadows, waiting for Andrea to turn on her heels, her deep brown hair whipping her face, and leave.

As Andrea departed, Ruthie swiftly fell into step beside Martin as he made to exit the school. She said nothing for the first few moments, feeling out the moment.

"She broke up with me, confessed to everything," he said sullenly, his eyes set straight ahead.

"Are you okay?" Ruthie asked.

"I guess. I mean…he was her _dentist_. How can she possibly prefer that geezer to me?" he pushed open the double doors and started down the stairs with Ruthie right by his side.

"Because she's a mentally unstable woman who apparently likes her men like she likes her wine: the older the better," she joked.

For a moment, Ruthie thought that Martin might actually smile, but the inkling flickered and died. They had reached his silver Honda Civic, the last car left in the parking lot.

"I just liked her so much," he confessed, his voice sounding so depressed Ruthie didn't recognize it.

Ruthie nodded slowly, understandingly. "I know," she replied softly.

They got into the car and drove off. Somewhere between the school and her home, Martin's mood had changed. One moment he had been down in the dumps, and the next he was badmouthing Andrea on almost every aspect of her life and appearance, something Ruthie thought Martin would never do to anyone. Apparently, he did not like it very much when someone screwed him over.

Martin pulled over to the curb of Ruthie's house and let her out. As she was closing her door after thanking him for the ride, she heard him mutter maliciously, "Mark my words, Andrea Marie Johnson, I will get even."

* * *

_Ruthie was furiously copying down Mr. Tiff's, her History teacher's, notes. She was trying to get as much out of this lecture, which pretty much meant she was writing down words as soon as they came out of his mouth, as fast as she possibly could. History had proved not to be her best subject in past years, and this year she was determined to get an "A". _

_There was a tap on her shoulder, and Ruthie turned her head attempting to be discreet so she wouldn't get reprimanded, while never slowing her pen. Josh Nord, the guy who sat in back of her, and who she had a major crush on, had called her attention. _

"_Did he say 'the Great Wall of China' or 'Wanna go to a movie with me tonight?'" Josh asked, smiling slyly. _

_Ruthie grinned. "I'm pretty sure he said the first, but I'll accept the second," she whispered back. _

"_Great. I'll pick you up at around seven?" _

"_Sounds good."_

_He flashed her a toothy smile and leaned back in his seat as she straightened in hers._

Martin looked bored as he sat on her bed, watching her toss items into her impersonation Coach purse. She had been reminiscing about when Josh Nord had asked her out and had been talking about it for the past fifteen minutes – the entire time it took her to apply her makeup.

"Yeah, Ruthie, that's great and I'm happy for you," he began with a hint of sarcasm, "but that doesn't help me. I'm looking for ways to get back at Andrea, not pickup lines."

Ruthie rolled her eyes dramatically and sighed, whipping around to fully face this sulky teenage boy who listened about as well as one does to an after school special.

"I was not trying to give you ways to make your ex-girlfriend jealous, nor was I trying to rub that specific moment in your face. I am simply reminding you that Josh will be here in about twenty minutes." She turned to check her appearance in the mirror and tucked a few stray hairs behind her ears.

Martin gasped happily. "I've got it!" he exclaimed.

"Oh, God," she muttered. "Here we go."

"You," he stated shortly.

Ruthie was confused. "What?"

"You," he repeated. "Andrea's always thought you were prettier than her. You could pretend to be my girlfriend! It's perfect!"

She stared at him for a moment, and the next she roared with laughter. Ruthie swiped her most recent copy of _Teen People_ and flopped onto her bed, flipping through the thin pages.

"Come on, Ruthie," he pleaded with her, getting down on his knees by her bedside. "Please, help me."

Ruthie glanced down at his big eyes and puffed-out lower lip and had to restrain from another giggle fit. She shook her head and returned to her magazine.

"You have completely lost your mind."

"Maybe," he started, "but this is the perfect plan. The second she sees us walking around school and holding hands, she'll become so jealous, she'll be begging at my feet to let her have another chance." He smiled distantly, imagining that moment.

Ruthie let her magazine fall to her lap with a semi-loud _SLAP _and looked Martin square in the eye. "Is that really what you want?" she asked. "Really, do you honestly want to get back together with this woman who betrayed you?"

He seemed to think for a minute, and then a sobering expression came back into his eyes. "No, I don't want to get back together with her, I just want to have that opportunity to reject her."

She sighed. "You mean you want to hurt her just as badly as she hurt you."

Martin got up off the floor and took a seat next to her feet on the bed. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Ruthie crawled down to the foot of her mattress and began massaging Martin's shoulders. "You've got to let go of what she did to you, and I know that's going to be unbelievably difficult, but that's what you have to do to move on. Besides, I _am_ prettier than her anyway, you can just look at me all day."

He laughed, catching her hands. She allowed herself to lean forward and lean on Martin's back, her neck wrapped around his. It went quiet and a tense air swept the room. Thankfully, the doorbell rang, and she left the room wordlessly, Martin's eyes on her back.

* * *

At school the next day, Martin saw Ruthie at her locker, shoving a few books into it and trying to keep everything else from falling out. He wanted to ask her how her date went last night, but a few feet away, talking to one of her friends, was Andrea. 

He tried to shake it off, tried to remember what Ruthie said, but was finding it rather difficult.

"Hey, Ruthie," he greeted her just as her History book went crashing to the floor, papers flying every which way. Martin reached down and collected the strays. As he handed them to her, she smiled her thanks and returned the hello.

"So, how's your day been?" he asked, stealing glances at Andrea every few seconds. She seemed not to have noticed him.

"Actually, it's been relatively good, except for my locker fiasco," she answered. "I really need to clean this thing out. Nothing fits anymore."

Martin feigned a laugh and Ruthie gave him and odd look. She closed her locker and turned to him, giving him her full attention.

"What do you keep looking at?" she asked, turning around. "Oh…"

"What? I'm not looking at anyone – anything," he corrected himself.

"Yeah, you're not looking at Andrea just like my name isn't Ruthie Camden." She took a hold of his forearm, leading him past her toward the cafeteria.

Martin saw Andrea smile and it angered him to see how happy she was. The next occurrence of events happened so quickly it was difficult to even comprehend them. Martin pulled Ruthie back, seizing her upper arms, and kissed her right in the middle of the hallway, right in front of Andrea, who took no notice.

Ruthie pushed Martin away with surprising force and glared at him, shock blunt on her face. Before she had a chance to form any words, a familiar voice called her name.

She turned around slowly, afraid to see his expression. Josh was standing behind her, patches of red anger on his cheeks. He was holding a small teddy bear that was holding a pink heart with the words, "I love you," embroidered on it.

"Josh," she stammered, "I can explain."

He said nothing, but threw the teddy bear at her feet and stormed off, fellow students jumping out of his way. She picked up the toy and chucked it at Martin, hitting him square on the forehead.

"What the _hell_ were you thinking?" she screamed, then took off to find Josh.

Martin picked up the bear and looked around the hall. There were clusters of students staring at him, some were laughing at him. He hitched his messenger bag up farther on his shoulder and took off in the opposite direction of Ruthie and Josh.

At the end of the day, Ruthie was livid and almost refused to get in the car with Martin. She had finally caught up with Josh in the north hallway, but as she began to explain herself, he had cut her off. He didn't want to hear what she had to say, and had no trouble breaking up with her. That had to be one of the shortest relationships she had ever had.

Throughout her remaining classes, all she could think about was the kiss in the hallway. It wasn't bad, but actually one of the better kisses she had ever experienced. And to think it came from Martin, who she had come to associate as her "brother". She shuddered at the thought.

"Ruthie, I'm really sorry about today," Martin said on the way to her house.

"Yeah, well you should be, Martin," she agreed, the tone of her voice dangerous. "That kiss not only ruined my relationship with a boy that I really, _really_ liked, but was bordering the line of…_incest_!"

"I'm not your brother!" he said defensively.

She scoffed. "Not by blood, but that's what I've come to know you as for the past year or so of my life. You can't honestly say that that wasn't the least bit disturbing."

"I don't know," he muttered. "It was actually kind of nice…."

Ruthie's eyes widened as they pulled up to her house. She shook her head, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Oh, my, God," she breathed, not believing what had just come out of Martin's mouth. "I don't know how long it will be before I can even _look_ at you again!" She climbed out of his Civic and slammed the door behind her and ran up the front porch without looking back.


	2. Part Two

Rings of Promise

Part Two

It had been a week, and though Ruthie had been in the same room as Martin about a million times, she had yet to speak a word to him. She was still fuming about the debacle that had humiliated her _and_ managed to get a guy that she really liked to hate her. So far, Martin had attempted to "make it up to her" by offering to take her places, offering to be her slave for as long as she wished, and he had even offered her his last slice of pizza the other day at lunch, which she had refused with much difficulty. All of his attempts were futile and were shot down with an angry glare before she walked away.

Ruthie flopped down on her bed, exhausted, having just turned down yet another offer for a ride home from Martin and she had to walk in the heat. Martin had never done anything that she felt she wouldn't forgive him for in the past, no matter how angry she was with him, but she was so surprised and caught off-guard the whole thing seemed that much more evil.

So, why couldn't she stop thinking about it?

Every night, her dreams were clouded with Martin's soft kiss, his hands in her hair. She woke up every morning, trying to force herself to be disgusted, but couldn't force the smile off her face quickly enough. Never would she admit to feeling this way. No. It was Martin's fault. He had wronged her and he deserved to suffer.

Ruthie sighed as she kicked off her shoes and flicked on the fan that sat on her nightstand. Instantly, cool air hit her face and she felt a bit more relaxed as she closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind. A wave of happiness washed over her as Martin's handsome face appeared. Her heart seemed to skip a beat and she felt weak.

As a soft, pathetic knock on her door sounded, she jumped seemingly frightened that she would get in trouble for thinking thoughts about her ex-housemate. When her heartbeat slowed and her breathing steadied, she allowed the person to enter without asking who dared to interrupt her.

Martin's head peeked around her door and she rolled her eyes, sighing huffily, trying to sound annoyed. He stepped further into the room and closed the entrance behind him so she would have no other choice but to listen to him.

"Ruthie, I'm really sorry," he began, trying to lock eyes with her, but she refused to look at him. She crossed her arms over her chest and pretended to be extremely interested in her walls.

"I know you probably hate me, but I just wanted you to know that I love you and would never do anything to intentionally hurt you."

_I know, _she thought silently.

"But who knew that Josh would see that?" he continued, almost laughing.

At the mention of Josh, Ruthie became indignant. She ripped her gaze from her wall and looked at Martin with fire in her eyes.

"That's not the point," she said. "You kissed me for your own selfish reasons. You didn't even think about me!"

Martin hung his head. "You're right," he agreed. "I wasn't thinking. I only wanted to make Andrea jealous."

"But it didn't. You cost me my boyfriend, who I _really_ liked, by the way." She was determined to make him feel as bad about this as she could.

Martin sighed. "I know, Ruthie, and I'm _so_ sorry. If I could take it back, I would."

She just stared at him, and then looked away, not saying another word.

"I just miss you so much, you know? You're my best friend."

"Friend" – that was all she was to him. Her eyes involuntarily filled with tears, regardless of how hard she tried to fight them.

"Please, Ruthie, talk to me." After a few moments of silence, Martin decided that Ruthie had no illusions of forgiving him any time soon. He pushed himself up off the bed and began to leave. Just as he reached for the doorknob, Ruthie called him back.

"Wait!" she said, jumping off the bed, running to stand in front of him. Before she could think about what she was doing, she pushed Martin up against the door.

He looked confused and somewhat worried. "Uh, Ruthie, what are you doing?" he asked with a nervous chuckle, searching her eyes for an answer.

Ruthie put her hands around his neck and stood on her toes. "I'm going to kiss you for my own selfish reasons," she replied softly, and closed her eyes as their lips came together.

Martin's hands wrapped around Ruthie's frame and found their way to the small of her back. They were lost in each other, losing all sense of time, neither of them caring.

* * *

The halls were alive with students as the bell marking the end of break sounded. Ruthie made a quick stop at her locker for her algebra book before third period. As she popped open her lock and pulled open the red, metal door, a piece of paper that was folded in half flittered to the floor. She bent down to pick it up and noticed Martin's messy scrawl immediately. 

The message was short but it made her unbelievably happy, nonetheless. She was to meet him behind the boys' gym after third. In a way, she cursed Martin for making her so excited and then making her wait an hour before she could see what he wanted. Making it through algebra was going to be an excruciating task.

It had been almost three days since they had kissed. Neither of them said a word about it after that day, but they both hadn't forgotten. Ruthie had been a bit worried, she had to admit, because Martin didn't show any other signs that he wanted anything more. She was kind of paranoid that he was still interested in Andrea, even if he wouldn't say it out loud.

Throughout the period, Martin had taken up her complete attention. Luckily, she was good at pretending like she was involved in the lesson, when in actuality all she had written down was a bunch of hearts with Martin's name in the middle. She didn't even know what the homework was, but she found herself not caring, which was unusual.

Ruthie glared at the clock, agitated that more time had not passed by. There was still about four and a half minutes before the bell rang. They were given seven minutes for passing in between periods, so that would give her a little time to see Martin. She had no idea what he wanted, even though she had spent the entire class wondering just that.

She shoved past students in the crowded hallway, trying to make her way to the boys' gym as fast as she could. When she got there, Martin was waiting for her. She smiled and slowed her pace as she came within feet of him.

"Hey," he greeted her, a grin appearing on his face.

_He's smiling, _she thought,_ That's a good sign._

"Hi," she returned. She didn't know whether or not to kiss him or hug him or what, so she just stood there, looking somewhat awkward.

Martin picked up on her nervousness and found it endearing. "I can't stop thinking about you," he confessed, pushing a stray strand of Ruthie's hair behind her ear.

She felt the warmth of Martin's hand against her face and her heart sped up. "Me either," she said softly.

"Ruthie," Martin said, taking her hands in his, "you are so great, and I can't stand not being able to kiss you whenever I want. Will you be my girlfriend?"

Ruthie took a breath and nodded. "Yes." Martin's eyes lit up and his whole face seemed to glow. She smiled, loving knowing that she had done that.

He leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips. "We'd better get going. I can't be late for class."

Ruthie laughed and interlaced her fingers with his as they walked down the quickly-emptying hall. "Not after last week when you were begging for my forgiveness in the middle of the hallway in front of everyone."

Martin chuckled. "I wasn't…_begging_."

"Sure you weren't," she replied sarcastically. "I'll see you after school." She gave him a hug outside her fourth period class and watched him continue to his class at a jog, andthen watched him get in trouble for running in the halls.

"Miss Camden, please get to your assigned seat or you _will_ be marked tardy," her teacher said, looking over her wide and extremely round glasses.

"Sorry," she whispered and took her seat in the first row.

* * *

The kitchen was filled with the mouth-watering aroma of peanut-butter cookies. Ruthie slipped an oven mitt over her hand and opened the door, hot air hitting her face. As she pulled the baking sheet off the rack and turned off the oven, the back door opened and her sister Lucy walked in with her two-year-old daughter Savannah on one hip and a grocery bag in her empty hand. 

"Mmmm, something smells good in here," Lucy commented, setting the brown bag on the counter.

"Cookie," Savannah said, reaching her small hand out toward an already-cooled batch.

"Why are _you_ baking cookies?" Lucy asked playfully. "You hardly ever show your face in the kitchen."

"I like to cook," Ruthie said defensively, sliding off the cookies one by one onto a sheet of wax paper. "And don't eat too many of those. I made them for Martin."

"Ah," Lucy said, realization dawning on her. "It's your anniversary. How long has it been?" Savannah, now content with her cookie, wiggled to get out of her mother's arms. Lucy set her on the floor.

"Three months," Ruthie replied instantly as she tried to scrape the remains of a burnt cookie off the pan.

"Wow. I'm a little surprised that Mom and Dad weren't a little more apprehensive about you guys going out."

Ruthie looked up. "Why? Well, I mean, with Dad I can see your point, but I think Mom caught on early."

Lucy shrugged. "I don't know. Isn't it a little weird? After all, you guys _did_ live together for, like, two years in a kind of big-brother-little-sister arrangement."

"Actually, it's not weird at all. You'd think it would be, but it just feels right, you know?"

Lucy smiled and nodded, thinking of her own husband who was waiting for her at their home next door. "Yeah, I know."

Ruthie grinned. "Oh, and don't ever say that again - the whole 'brother/sister thing'. Yuck."

Lucy laughed. "I'm gonna go find my daughter and go home, so I'll talk to you later." She grabbed her grocery bag off the counter and disappeared down the short hallway to the living room calling Savannah's name.

* * *

"The dinner was lovely, Martin," Ruthie said, dropping her coat over the back of his couch. They had stopped back at Martin's house for some alone time since his father was out. 

Martin flicked on the lights and put on low, romantic music. He came to sit beside her on the couch and stroked her soft curls. He smiled.

"It was my pleasure," he replied in a low voice, his hand finding its way to her cheek. He leaned in and engaged her in a passionate kiss that seemed to stop all time. The music, the lights, the room went away, and they were the only things left.

Ruthie looked into Martin's light eyes and felt her heart speed up. Her hands slid from his strong shoulders to his chest, picking up on his own racing heartbeat. Slowly, never taking her eyes off his, her fingers felt the buttons of his striped shirt and slid them out of their holes.

"What are you doing?" he whispered, his voice calm and unalarmed. He knew that he couldn't make this move because he knew what kind of household she was raised in.

"I don't know," she muttered honestly, but she continued to unbutton until there were no buttons left.

Martin reached around the back of her dress and unzipped it, allowing the straps to slip off her shoulders, exposing her lacy, black bra and a small portion of her stomach. Quickening the pace, he jerked his arms out of his shirt, leaving him bare-chested.

Ruthie straddled Martin's lap, not allowing herself to think of what she was doing, and kissed him, taking his lower lip gently with her teeth. His hands had slid up from her lower back to her hair, when there was a rapid knock on the door.

She jumped up, clutching onto her dress so it wouldn't fall down round her ankles and glanced at the clock as Martin fumbled with his shirt.

"It's my dad," she said hurriedly, "it must be. It's almost twelve and I'm not home!" She pushed the straps of her dress back over her bare shoulders and struggled with zipping it up.

The knocking continued.

Martin ran to the door with his shirt in mismatched button holes with Ruthie right behind him with her curls in knots. When he flung open the door, it wasn't Ruthie's father standing there in the dark. It was, in Ruthie's opinion, someone much worse: Andrea.

The woman was standing there, her hands clasped in front of her, trying to look composed, but there were dry tear streaks running down her face.

"Andrea?" Martin said with concern in his voice. "What are you doing here? Are you okay?"

Ruthie felt anger rise within herself. She had to dig her fingernails into her palm to keep from slamming the door on her face. After all, she was the one who reduced Martin to a pathetic excuse for a man and wanted nothing to do with him. Now he was finally happy with a woman who truly cared for him back, so what in the world did she want?

"I'm sorry if I'm interrupting anything," she apologized, glancing from Ruthie's hair to Martin's shirt, "but I just had to get out of the house."

"Well, come in," Martin said, stepping aside and Ruthie moved grudgingly. He shut the door and Andrea took a seat on the couch.

Martin gave Ruthie a look that said "I'm sorry" but she brushed it off, the anger still rising. He knelt in front of Andrea's knees and looked into her eyes, waiting for her to explain. Ruthie stood off to the side in the shadows with her arms folded over her chest.

"My parents found out about Jack," she said quietly, dabbing at her eyes with the tissue she had produced from her coat pocket. Ruthie rolled her eyes.

"Who's Jack?" Martin asked.

"He's just this guy I am – was – dating. Daddy says I can't go out with him anymore because he's…'too old for me'."

"Was this the old geezer we saw who was eating your face?" Ruthie asked none too politely.

"He's _not_ old," Andrea shot back at her.

Ruthie scoffed.

Martin's cell phone rang and Ruthie quickly obliged, glad for any excuse to get out of sight of Andrea. She read the caller ID.

"It's my dad," she said as Martin looked over at her. She walked down the hall and into Martin's room for some privacy. She didn't exactly want to have a shouting match with her father and make herself look like a fool in front of Andrea.

"Hello?" she answered, "Hi, Dad."

"Ruthie, where are you? It's fifteen past your curfew," he demanded.

She sighed. "I'm still at Martin's we just got back from dinner." Ruthie glanced around his room. It had been a while since she had been in there. They usually always hung around at her house. Her eyes scanned over the many baseball trophies, some dating back to the early nineties, but stopped on a picture on his nightstand. It wasn't of her, but of Andrea.

"I'm giving you five minutes. We need to talk."

"Sure," she replied quietly as she picked her way to the photograph. She picked up the frame and slid out the picture. On the back in Martin's boyish scrawl, it read, "Andrea, my love." Tears formed in her eyes.

"Ruthie? Are you still there?" her father asked, some of the sternness lost from his voice.

She swallowed. "Yeah, I'm here," she said, trying to sound as normal as possible.

"Honey, are you okay?" Ruthie could almost see his eyebrows scrunched together.

"Yeah, Dad, I'm fine," she said. "I'm leaving right now." She set the frame back the way it was on the night table.

"Okay, I'll see you in a few minutes then. I love you."

"Love you, too," she replied and hung up the phone.

* * *

Martin watched Ruthie go back into his room. He pulled himself up on the couch next to Andrea who was becoming continually upset. 

"I just couldn't stay there because of all the yelling, so I came here, even though we haven't spoken for…three months," she said, refusing to look him in the eye.

Martin put a hand on her shoulder in attempt to comfort her. "You know I'm here for you Andrea, as long as you need me."

She nodded, and then looked up at him. "Oh, Martin, I've missed you so much. I can't believe I ever broke up with you."

He stared at her. "What?" he asked in disbelief.

"I've tried to forget about you, but I can't. I love you."

"What?" He was suddenly unable to close his mouth. Was she really saying these words?

"When I saw you kiss Ruthie in the hall, I almost lost it," she explained, fresh tears springing to her eyes.

Martin shook his head. "No you didn't. You walked right by us looking like nothing even happened," he rebutted, "Besides, what about _Jack_?"

She waved her hand, brushing off his words. "Jack was a mistake. He's too old for me anyway, you know that."

"Yeah, well, regardless, I'm with Ruthie now. I really like her."

Andrea suppressed a laugh. "Oh, please, Martin, she's just a little girl."

Ruthie crept to the end of the hallway were she stood hidden in the shadows and listened to their conversation.

Andrea's voice became low and seductive as her eyes softened. "You don't want someone like her. Remember how happy we were together? I want that again." She leaned in and kissed him.

"Ahem," Ruthie cleared her throat and walked farther into the room where she could be seen. Andrea jerked away as if Martin's lips were on fire.

"Ruthie, I-" Martin started, but Ruthie held up a hand to hush him.

"You need to take me home now," she said shortly, grabbing her coat and starting toward the door.

Martin shot Andrea an angry look as they got up and followed Ruthie out into the chilly night. After refusing a ride home from Martin, Andrea started her walk home and Martin climbed into the car with Ruthie, who looked as if she could kill him.

"Ruthie, I'm really sorry," Martin apologized as they drove down the darkened street.

"You kissed her," Ruthie replied quietly, averting her eyes from Martin, keeping a steady, fixed gaze through the windshield at nothing.

"No, I didn't. _She_ kissed _me_," he said defensively, taking short glances between Ruthie's tense form and the empty road ahead.

She was silent for a moment and Martin wondered if she was going to speak at all. He was instantly reminded of the incident, which also involved Andrea, where Ruthie hadn't spoken to him for about a week. That had almost killed him, but then they were just friends. Now that they were together, her not speaking to him probably _would_ kill him.

"She wants you back," Ruthie whispered. "You'll get what you wanted."

Martin couldn't believe that Ruthie was saying these words. "Are you crazy?" he asked, trying to keep the laughter out of his voice. "I don't want her back. I'm happier with you than I ever was with her."

Ruthie swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat as they turned onto her street and pushed back more oncoming tears. She had to stay composed, not only because of her situation with Martin, but because of what she was about to face with her parents. They pulled up in front of her house where the living room light was the only one on. Her parents would be waiting for her.

"Ruthie, I don't want anything to do with Andrea," Martin said as Ruthie stepped out of the car. "You believe me, don't you?"

She looked back over her shoulder, her eyes full of confusion. Without reply, she shut the door and made her way up the porch steps, pulling her coat closer to her body. Martin watched her go into the house before turning around.

* * *

"Ruthie?" Annie called out as the front door opened and closed. She appeared around the corner with Eric in her wake. "Thank God." 

"I'm sorry I'm late," Ruthie said, her voice flat and emotionless. She slipped off her coat and draped it over her arm.

"You're almost thirty minutes over your curfew," Eric informed her, his eyes stern.

Ruthie nodded. "I know, and I'm sorry. It won't happen again," she assured them.

"You're right, it won't," Annie agreed, her voice becoming continually firmer as she was sure her daughter wasn't in any way hurt. "No more dates for a week."

Ruthie sighed. "Okay," she said, unable to get the picture of Andrea and Martin kissing on the couch earlier that evening. "I don't think you'll have to worry about that," she added quietly.

"What was that?" Eric asked.

Ruthie shook her head. "It was nothing. Can I go to be now? I'm really tired."

Her parents nodded and watched her disappear up the stairs. When they were sure Ruthie was out of earshot, Eric turned to Annie.

"Something happened tonight," he said.

Annie gazed over the spot where Ruthie had stood only moments before. "I know."

* * *

Ruthie trudged into her room and shut the door behind her. Without removing her shoes, she let herself fall onto her bed and lay there, staring at the ceiling as if it held all the answers. All night, she felt like she could cry a river, but now, she couldn't even cry a little puddle. 

It wasn't long before there was a knock on her door. She was beginning to get tired of people knocking on the door, because every time she opened it, something bad happened.

"Come in," she called softly. Her mother entered the room and gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Date didn't go well?" she asked, sitting down on the bed next to her daughter.

Ruthie sighed. "It went fine," she said, "until we got to Martin's."

"What happened at Martin's?" Annie's voice held a bit of worry.

Ruthie wondered if she should be telling her mother this. "Well, it was what _almost_ happened."

"You mean you almost…."

"Yeah," Ruthie replied shortly.

Annie tried to keep herself calm. She had already gone through this problem with her son Simon almost a year ago.

"But you didn't?" Annie asked.

"No, we didn't." Ruthie answered. "Well, we got close, but then someone came to the door." Her voice was full of revulsion. "It was Andrea."

Annie was surprised. "Andrea? Martin's ex-girlfriend?"

"That's the one." Ruthie closed her eyes and added quietly, "She wants him back."

Annie's heart dropped. "But he's with you now. He can't go back with her."

"Sure he can."

Annie couldn't believe what she was hearing. It wasn't like Martin to just use someone like that, especially her daughter. "Does he want to?"

Ruthie was silent for a moment. "He says he doesn't, but…I don't know. It's all Andrea's fault. Why did she have to show up anyway?"

Annie lifted Ruthie's feet up onto her lap and began undoing the buckles. "Well, if she hadn't shown up, think of what you and Martin might have done."

Ruthie thought back to earlier that night and what she was prepared to do. "I didn't think of it that way."

Annie dropped the black pumps onto the floor. "At least she was good for something."

Ruthie laughed. "Yeah," she agreed.

Her mother smiled. "Honey, I wouldn't worry about Martin going back with Andrea. He likes you, not her." Annie patted Ruthie's leg and pushed herself up off the bed.

She kissed Ruthie's forehead and told her goodnight. "I love you, Ruthie."

"'Love you, too."

When her mother had gone and flicked out the light, Ruthie turned over on her side, pulling her knees up to her chest. The world outside was dark and mottled with bright stars.

Ruthie knew her mother was only trying to make her feel better, but she didn't know all the details. She had conveniently left out the "Martin and Andrea kissed" portion. Tears suddenly sprang to her eyes, but she wiped at them before they could fall.

She sighed and closed her eyes, hoping that her dreams would make her happier than reality.

* * *

**A/N: I have decided to make this into a three-part story, so this isn't the end, obviously (that would be lame). Anyway, part three should be up ASAP. **


	3. Part Three

**Rings of Promise**

Part Three

Martin tossed and turned in his bed, unable to fall asleep. He was still having trouble comprehending what had happened. Andrea wanted him back? He had spent weeks trying to get her back, but she paid him no attention. Now that he had moved on and was happy, she wanted him back? It didn't make sense.

As much as he didn't want to admit it, he still had feelings for Andrea. After all, she was beautiful and nice and funny. They were together for a long time and it would be difficult to just forget about everything. He wished Andrea had come to him about three months ago when he was open. All she was doing now was jeopardizing his relationship with Ruthie.

If anyone had told him that he and Ruthie would be together, he would have laughed. Back then all he and Ruthie were was friends - neither one of them even thought about hooking up. It was ridiculous. For so long they had lived in the same house and acted as siblings.

He wondered if he was making a mistake. Was what he had with Ruthie real? Did he only ask her out because she was willing to be with him? It was extremely hard for him to decipher if he really wanted Ruthie as a person, or if he wanted Ruthie as a girlfriend.

After their date that night, they had almost done something that had the potential to ruin their lives. And Ruthie was two years younger than him, so the risks for her would have been greater. Why were her parents so willing to let them date? Was he really as good of a person as they made him out to be?

"Ugh," Martin sighed, slapping a hand to his forehead. Everything was so complicated.

If he went back with Andrea, he would be happy. Together, they were great. He loved the way her hair felt between his fingers and her smile. When they hung out and did absolutely nothing, he would have the best time. Being with Andrea made him feel on top of the world.

Martin remembered the look on Ruthie's face when she got out of his car. She hadn't believed that he wasn't going to get back together with Andrea. He didn't blame her. It was almost impossible for him to feel how hurt she must have been. To know that he was the one who made her cry those tears was the lowest feeling in the world.

Martin rolled over and tried to sleep. He had school the next morning where he would have to see Ruthie and make a decision. Why was that so hard? Just a few days ago he knew he would do anything for Ruthie, but now what Andrea was back in the picture, he doubted his motives to be with the younger girl.

* * *

No matter how hard she tried, Ruthie couldn't rid the image of Martin and Andrea from her tired mind. She had been dwelling on it for days and it was making her crazy. Once again, Ruthie was hiding from Martin, not wanting to talk to him in fear of what he would say. If she didn't talk to him, then she wouldn't have to hear those words that would break her.

Ruthie stood at her locker gathering her textbooks for next period when she heard her name being called down the hall. It was Martin. Quickening her pace, Ruthie got what she needed and slammed the little metal door, her lock clicking after it. Nearly colliding with many students, she managed to stumble into her classroom before Martin could reach her.

She stared a hole in the blackboard until she was sure Martin was gone. Finally, she allowed her muscles to relax and the breath to be expelled from her lungs. It was only a second later when she realized what class this was: history. Sitting right behind her was Joshua, the boy that she had crushed with Martin's lips.

Ruthie couldn't remember the last time she had looked back at him. While she was going out with Martin, she had forgotten all about Josh. She had felt like no one else in the world mattered and now the embarrassment and the tension came flying back and hit her forcefully in the heart. When was the last time she felt this bad? Never.

* * *

Things didn't improve when she arrived home that day after a long ride on a rancid-smelling school bus. Her mother was waiting for her and she did not look happy. She had been glaring at a single piece of paper for almost fifteen minutes straight, not believe her eyes. When Ruthie walked through the door, the color rose in Annie's cheeks.

"Ruthie Camden, we need to talk," she started firmly. "Sit down."

Ruthie was confused as she dumped her bag on the floor and flopped down in a kitchen chair. "What's the matter?" she asked.

Annie was indignant. "Were you aware of this?" she demanded, practically shoving the page into Ruthie's hands.

The teenager scanned the page and her eyes widened. They were her progress report grades and they were not good. Ruthie shook her head. "No, I didn't know I was doing so bad."

Annie's eyes narrowed. "Are you serious? Ruthie, you're failing three of your classes that you used to have A's in. What happened?"

Ruthie shrugged. "I don't know," she whispered.

The woman took a breath and calmed herself. When she spoke again, it was in such a tone that chilled Ruthie. "I've already spoken to your father about this. We've both decided that you are grounded for a month."

Ruthie almost jumped out of her chair. "A month! That's so unfair!"

"Really? Well, I don't think that being okay with letting my intelligent daughter, whom I love, be reckless with her schoolwork is fair."

Ruthie rolled her eyes, her jaw tight.

"Honey, this isn't you," Annie said, giving the paper a shake. "You were doing so well. What happened to you?"

Ruthie stood, shouldering her backpack. "Life happened."

Annie watched her ascend the stairs and disappear out of view.

* * *

He didn't know how long he stood on her doorstep before she appeared. She smiled when she saw him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"I'm so glad you're here," she said. "Come in."

Andrea stepped aside and allowed Martin to enter the house. It didn't seem as though anyone was home besides her. They were completely alone.

Andrea took a seat on the couch and insisted the he join her. Silence took over then as he gathered what it was he wanted to say.

"I've missed you so much, Martin," she whispered, running a hand over his knee. He watched her fingers as they glided over the fabric of his pants.

He nodded. "I missed you, too."

The grin on her face widened to expose her teeth. She moved over to be closer to him. He could feel the heat of her skin against his. Andrea rested her hand on his shoulder and gently took his ear between her teeth. Shivers ran down the back of his neck, but he didn't push her away. Was this what he was waiting for?

Soon, he and Andrea were locked in a kiss, during which his mind wouldn't shut off. Martin wasn't sure of what he was doing. He couldn't get Ruthie off his mind. No matter what he did, he couldn't get her to talk to him, so he went to someone who would.

"Martin, I'm so glad you came back to me," Andrea said, running her fingers through his short hair. He refused to look her in the eye. He was so lost right then, not knowing what – or who – it was that he wanted. Things with Ruthie were so difficult, but things with Andrea were easy. Maybe he wanted "easy".

"I know," he replied and kissed her again.

* * *

Ruthie shut her bedroom door behind her and fell onto her bed. This time, she let the tears come and fall. There was no use in wiping them away. Everything that she used to be – confident, good student, happy – was changed. She had been so wrapped up in Martin that everything else in her life had been ignored. Things were so new and exciting that nothing was as important.

Now, she didn't have Martin, she didn't have the passing grades, and all the confidence she had was gone. She had let having a boyfriend define her. She couldn't even remember what the old Ruthie was like. What had she done before Martin? The idea that she didn't know who she was anymore scared her. Maybe breaking up with Martin was a sign from God to wake up.

Instantly, her sadness turned to anger. Martin had made her question who she was, which made her livid. It was bad enough when she couldn't get a boyfriend in the first place but at least back then she knew what she wanted and wouldn't settle for anything less. Martin was perfect – too perfect. Now that he was gone, it was like everything bad that she thought about herself was true.

Ruthie sighed, letting everything that she had bottled up go. If he didn't want to be with her, fine. She didn't care anymore. She didn't _want_ to care. What Martin did was up to him and she decided that she didn't want to let someone have that much control over her emotions. It wasn't worth it anymore.

* * *

Martin pushed Andrea away and took in her startled expression. A sudden feeling of guilt overtook him and he realized that what he was doing wasn't right. He had gone there with a set decision but as soon as he saw her, things changed. It was fun while it lasted, but this wasn't where he belonged.

"Martin, what's the matter?" Andrea asked, her hands still around his neck.

He reached up and grasped her wrist gently and pulled them away from his body. "Andrea, I came here to tell you that I couldn't get back together with you," he explained, refusing to look her in the eye.

"What?" she asked, unable to hide the hurt from her face. "But I thought you missed me."

Martin nodded. "I did, and what we had was great, but it's over."

"But Martin," Andrea pleaded, tears welling in her eyes, "I love you."

He almost laughed out loud. "No, you don't. You just love having a boyfriend."

"That's not true," she disagreed. "Look, Martin, I'll do anything. I want to be with you."

Martin locked his gaze with hers and replied, "Anything?"

Andrea smiled hopefully. "Yes, anything."

He swallowed and nodded slowly. "Just…leave me alone." He stood from the couch and let himself out the front door with Andrea's eyes on his back.

* * *

The phone rang shrilly but Ruthie paid it no attention. She knew that Martin would be calling, but she didn't particularly feel like speaking with him. Someone knocked on the door to her room.

"Come in," she said and her mother appeared.

"Martin's on the phone," she announced. "Do you want to talk to him?"

Silently, Ruthie shook her head and began fidgeting with her hands.

Annie smoothed her daughter's hair. "I know you're going through a hard time with him right now, sweetie, but I really think you should talk to him and work things out."

Ruthie didn't reply.

"Please? For me?"

Ruthie glanced up at her mother. "Fine." She reached over to her nightstand and picked up the phone. "Hello?"

Annie took her cue and left the room.

"Ruthie, I know you don't want to talk to me, and I don't blame you," Martin started, "but I just want you to know that I am really sorry. I can't believe that I put you through that."

"You know how much I cared about you, Martin. You know that I would have done _anything_ for you. You know that I wouldn't have even had to think about going with someone else," Ruthie said, struggling to keep her voice even. "I thought that you felt the same way about me. I trusted you. But now…"

"I know, I know. I was insane. But, Ruthie, you make me feel things that I never thought I could feel. You make me happier than I ever thought I could be."

Ruthie twisted the phone cord around her fingers. "But that wasn't enough, was it? I mean, I gave you everything that I could possibly give you. I cared about you more than I cared about myself and because of that, I didn't know who I was." She took a breath. "I just, I can't be with you and be what I was."

The other end was silent for a moment and Ruthie was sure that Martin was trying not to cry. "You can't do this to me, Ruthie. You _can't!_"

"I'm sorry, Martin."

"But I told Andrea no! I told her no for you!" he yelled. "You're the most important person in the world to me. I don't ever want to be without you. I'm – I love you."

Ruthie's eyes filled and the hot tears spilled down her face. "Good-bye, Martin." She placed the phone back and curled up in a ball on her bed. Messy, body-wrecking sobs crashed through her form and they didn't cease for hours.

* * *

Ruthie was working on her homework on a Saturday afternoon when Lucy ventured into her bedroom.

"Hey," Lucy greeted her. "What are you doing?"

"Homework," Ruthie replied without looking up.

"On Saturday?"

Ruthie sighed. "Haven't you heard? I'm grounded for a month."

Lucy nodded. "Oh, yeah. Well, that stinks. You won't be able to see Martin except for at school."

Ruthie's pencil stopped on the page at the mention of Martin's name but she said nothing. "I guess so."

"How's it going with you guys?" Lucy asked innocently as she took a seat on the bed.

Ruthie closed the history book and turned in her chair to face her sister. "It's not. Now, did you need something because I'm kind of busy?"

Lucy looked confused. "What happened? I thought things were going good."

Ruthie shrugged. "They were," she replied. "But then Andrea, Martin's ex-girlfriend, messed everything up."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did he get back together with her or something?" she asked.

Ruthie shook her head. "No, he didn't. He told me that he didn't want to be with her anymore."

"Then, what's the problem?" Lucy asked.

Ruthie began busying herself with tidying up the surface of her vanity. "I told him that I couldn't be with him anymore because when I'm with him I don't know who I am."

"What do you mean?"

The younger girl turned around. "It's just… Before I was with him, I knew what I stood for, you know? I knew what I wanted out of life, I knew who I was. But then when he came along, everything was out the window and that scared me."

Lucy nodded. "Oh, yeah. I know what you mean. It was like that for me when I first started dating Kevin. It was scary and new, but exciting."

"Yeah, but everything with Andrea made me feel like I couldn't control what happened in my own life. It made me feel so vulnerable and I hate that. I hate crying over guys." Ruthie went over to the bed and took a seat next to Lucy. "He said he loved me."

"Wow," Lucy gasped. "What'd you say?"

"Nothing. I said 'good-bye' and I hung up."

"Oh. Well…do you love him too?" Lucy asked.

Ruthie was quiet for a moment. "I don't know. But I care about him so much, you know? I just can't believe that it's over."

Lucy put an arm around her sister. "I know. You'll be okay though. You're only sixteen."

"Yeah," Ruthie sighed. "But I'm going to miss him."

* * *

Martin held the envelopes in his hands that night, wondering if he was prepared to open them. They were letters from the colleges he had applied for. With a shaking hand he opened all three. He got in to all three. A burst of excitement ran through his blood. He was going to be able to go to the college of his choice and play baseball. Then another thought that wasn't very happy at all crowded his mind: what about Ruthie?

He was going to have to tell Ruthie that he wasn't going to be going to a college that was nearby. In fact, it was halfway across the country. How was she going to handle that? How was _he_ going to handle that?

She might not even care though, Martin thought, remembering that Ruthie had broken up with him a few days ago. It still hadn't hit him completely that he and Ruthie weren't together. He never thought that he would ever break up with Ruthie. Hearing those words come out of her mouth had been the hardest thing he had ever had to bare. That was saying something since he would worry every single day for his father's life since he was all the way in Iraq fighting the war.

Martin sighed and sank onto his bed. All feelings of success and happiness had quickly disappeared from his body. He put his head in his hands and tried to think of what he had to do. School would end in about three months and then he would have to start the process of moving over the summer. It was times like these that he wished that he and Ruthie were the same age and dealing with the same issues.

Maybe she was right to break up with him.

* * *

An incredibly irritating tapping on her window awoke Ruthie. She wiped the sleep from her eyes and looked out the pane. Martin was standing in her front yard throwing pebbles at her window. She seriously contemplated leaving him out there and going back to sleep. Sighing, she pulled the blanket off of her bed and made her way outside.

"That is so cliché," Ruthie stated, wrapping the blanket around her and sitting on the bench.

Martin shrugged, tossing the small stones to the ground. "Sorry."

"Why are you here?" Ruthie asked tiredly. She still felt uncomfortable being around him this soon after she had broken up with him, but in a way, she was glad he was here.

"I missed you," he replied shortly. "And I couldn't sleep." He let some time pass before he continued. "I wanted to tell you how stupid I think this is. I want to be with you. We are so right for each other, Ruthie."

She nodded, not looking making eye contact. "I know that."

"Then why did you not want to be with me?" he asked.

Ruthie sighed and thought back to her conversation with Lucy. "Because…I was scared."

"Of what?"

"Of not knowing what was going to happen. Of feeling like I had no control over what happened to me. Of being so close to you," she explained.

"But why, Ruthie? Our relationship was so exciting and so good. You know that I wouldn't let anything happen to you."

"Martin, we almost had sex. I don't know about you, but I think that's pretty scary."

He nodded. "That was stupid, and I'm happy we didn't. But we had something between us that was so powerful and passionate. I'm afraid that if I'm not with you, I won't truly be happy knowing what my life could have been like."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Maybe this _is_ stupid. You know, what? I'm sorry I even said anything. I want to be your girlfriend again."

A huge grin appeared on Martin's face. "I know we still have a lot of things to talk about, but I'm glad I have you by my side."

Ruthie smiled and threw some of her blanket around Martin's shoulders. "I'll always be by your side." She laid her head against his chest and listened to his heartbeat as they sat there in silence, watching the stars in the midnight sky.

After a while, Martin spoke again softly. "There's something else that I needed to talk to you about, Ruthie."

"What is it?" she asked, not moving her head from its spot.

"I got reply letters from the colleges that I applied to today and they all accepted me," he said.

"That's great. Where are you going to go?" she asked.

"Waylington," he replied shortly, waiting for her reaction.

Her breath caught and she sat up straight. "But that's all the way in Virginia."

"I know, but they have a great baseball program there and that's why I'm going," Martin explained.

"I'm never going to see you."

"We can write a lot. And I'll call you every day and every night."

Ruthie felt tears prick behind her eyes. "And you have to come home every break and summer."

"Of course." Martin engaged Ruthie in a short kiss before he pulled her close again.

"When do you leave?" she asked.

"Not until this summer sometime. I only just got the letters today and I still have to talk things over with my dad. Nothing's official yet so we still have time."

"I'm going to miss you so much," Ruthie said softly as Martin ran his hand through her hair.

"Me too."

Silence had fallen once again, but this time only for a few moments.

"Martin?" Ruthie whispered.

"Yes?"

"I love you, too."

* * *

Three months had passed and Ruthie had spent as much time with Martin as possible. It was Martin's last day in Glenoak and Ruthie had gone with him and his father to the airport. Everyone else had said goodbye at the house. Martin's father had gone off to verify one thing or another while the couple said their own goodbyes.

Martin reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box.

"What's this?" Ruthie asked as Martin handed it to her. She opened it and the familiar ring was exposed. She smiled.

"It's the promise ring you picked out a long time ago. I want you to have it."

"Thank you so much. I love it," Ruthie said as Martin slipped it onto her left ring finger.

Martin brushed a stray hair out of Ruthie's face and kissed her. "I'm really going to miss you."

Ruthie put her arms around Martin and held him until his gate was announced. He wiped the tears from her cheeks and kissed her one final time.

"I love you, Ruthie," he whispered in her ear.

"I love you, too."

Martin slung his bag over his shoulder. "I'll come back for you," he said with a smile.

Ruthie nodded and grinned sadly. "I'll be waiting."

**THE END**

* * *

A/N: So, that's the end. Thanks to all of you who reviewed and kept me going.:) I hope you really enjoyed this story.

Also, I just wanted to add that "Waylington College" is fictional to the extent of my knowledge. Thanks again.


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